Provincial leader appointed as Secretary of the Special Zone

On June 16, National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn, on behalf of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, signed and promulgated Resolution No. 1679/NQ-UBTVQH15 regarding the rearrangement of administrative units at the commune level in Quảng Ninh province for 2025. As part of this resolution, the entire area, including the population of Cái Rồng Town and the communes of Bản Sen, Bình Dân, Đài Xuyên, Đoàn Kết, Đông Xá, Hạ Long, Minh Châu, Ngọc Vừng, Quan Lạn, Thắng Lợi, and Vạn Yên, will be consolidated into a special economic zone named Vân Đồn.

Vân Đồn Special Economic Zone was established by transitioning the entire Vân Đồn island district, comprising 12 administrative units, including five island communes.

On June 21, Vũ Đại Thắng, Secretary of the Quảng Ninh Provincial Party Committee, signed a decision to establish the Vân Đồn Party Committee, under the direct supervision of the Quảng Ninh Provincial Party Committee. The Vân Đồn Party Committee, with 86 subordinate Party organizations, will ensure the comprehensive and continuous leadership of the Party over all aspects of the special economic zone's activities.

The working headquarters of the Vân Đồn Special Economic Zone is located at the former headquarters of the Vân Đồn District Party Committee, People’s Council, People’s Committee, Vietnam Fatherland Front, and other political-social organizations in the former Vân Đồn District (before the administrative rearrangement).

According to personnel decisions, Cao Tường Huy (former Chairman of the Quảng Ninh People's Committee) will serve as the Secretary of the Vân Đồn Party Committee, and Vũ Đức Hưởng (former Deputy Secretary of the Vân Đồn District Party Committee and Chairman of Vân Đồn District People's Committee) will be the Chairman of the Vân Đồn Special Economic Zone.

Proposal for Vietnamese Citizens to Enter Casinos in Vân Đồn

As of June 2025, Vân Đồn has attracted more than 60 projects using non-budgetary capital, with a total registered capital estimated at 63 trillion VND. Among these, many projects have been completed and are already beginning to show positive results, such as the Vân Đồn International Airport - the first international airport in Vietnam invested by a local enterprise under the BOT model, and the Hạ Long - Vân Đồn - Móng Cái expressway, which was inaugurated in 2022, reducing travel time from Hanoi to Vân Đồn to just 2.5-3 hours.

Additionally, the Ao Tiên International Port, Wyndham Garden Sonasea Hotel, Angsana Quan Lan Hạ Long Bay Resort, and others are emerging as significant high-end tourism and service destinations.

Given that the Vân Đồn Economic Zone is one of the 13 special economic zones, the development of a high-end tourism service complex in Vân Đồn (Vân Đồn Casino) is considered a perfect complement to the local economy.

This project is expected to be invested with over 2 billion USD (equivalent to 51.555 trillion VND) and span 244 hectares in the former Vạn Yên commune. The project's goal is to create a complex for tourism, resort, gaming, international events, and to become a leading destination in Asia. Recently, the Ministry of Finance submitted a proposal to the Prime Minister for approval of a pilot program allowing Vietnamese citizens to participate in casinos in Vân Đồn.

Vân Đồn Special Economic Zone - A Tourism Powerhouse

While Cô Tô only consists of islands, Vân Đồn spans four times the area, with 600 islands and a land area of over 481 km². The Vân Đồn Special Economic Zone covers approximately 2,171.33 km² (with 583.92 km² of land and 1,587.41 km² of sea), and is home to a population of 53,904 people.

Notably, the Vân Đồn Special Economic Zone manages 600 islands in two main archipelagos: Cái Bầu (the largest and most populated island) and Vân Hải. Most of these islands are ideal for tourism and resort development and have been popular tourist destinations for many years, including: Quan Lạn, Minh Châu, Ngọc Vừng, Ba Mùn, Trà Bản, Sơn Hào, Thẻ Vàng, Vạn Cảnh, and more.

In 2024, Vân Đồn welcomed over 1.8 million visitors with an estimated revenue of 2.831 trillion VND. In 2025, Vân Đồn aims to attract over 2 million visitors (1.8 million domestic tourists and 200,000 international tourists) with a projected total revenue of 3.5 trillion VND.

During the 30th April - 1st May 2025 holiday period, Vân Đồn welcomed nearly 60,000 tourists with 230 cruise ship departures from Ao Tiên Port. Currently, Vân Đồn has about 200 accommodation establishments (approximately 3,000 rooms) and 100 restaurants and eateries serving tourists.

Infrastructure and Transportation in Vân Đồn Special Economic Zone

Vân Đồn benefits from excellent transportation infrastructure, with the Vân Đồn International Airport, the Hạ Long - Vân Đồn - Móng Cái expressway, and several ports including Ao Tiên, Vạn Hoa, Quan Lạn, and Cái Rồng. Additionally, modern high-speed boats operate between the mainland and the islands, while wooden boats transport passengers within the bay.

The zone also hosts many tourism, resort, casino, golf, entertainment, and commercial housing projects, including the Ao Tiên - Cát Linh - Vân Đồn luxury resort complex, Crystal Holidays Harbour Vân Đồn, and Monbay Vân Đồn.

Tourism development has led to the emergence of diverse real estate projects (including those for tourism, resorts, commerce, and residential use), as well as industrial park development in the Vân Đồn area for many years.

However, despite many large projects offering reduced prices, they have struggled to attract buyers, and new urban areas with completed infrastructure remain sparsely populated. Even large resorts and hotels rarely reach full occupancy. Meanwhile, the land market is volatile, with land prices soaring by 20-50%, posing potential risks.

This situation is primarily due to high investment ratios, low actual demand for housing (with 80% of real estate transactions in Vân Đồn being investment-related), and especially the public waiting for decisions on economic zones and urban planning.

According to the Vân Đồn People's Committee, in the first six months of 2025, the service and tourism industry continued to play a crucial role, with the launch of the Bai Tu Long Bay sightseeing tour, the Vân Đồn 2025 Sea Tourism Festival, and a 40% increase in tourism compared to the same period last year (international tourists to Vân Đồn increased by 2,350%). Tourism revenue also rose by 22% compared to the same period last year.

However, several projects are still behind schedule, including the handover of sea areas under provincial authority in Vân Đồn, the completion of the Vân Đồn industrial cluster, and the land clearance for some projects.

- Source: Thanhnien.vn -